Pelss’ family rejecting reports he is dead, searching river banks for him

An uncomfirmed report out of Latvia says that Oilers prospect Kristians Pelss has drowned after jumping into a river.

According to Google translate: He has died so far and still unexplained circumstances. Information that he has drowned and unfortunately this information is confirmed, “said Arthur Vaiders, sports editor for Diena, a leading daily in this Baltic Sea coast nation.

Meanwhile, the Latvian Hockey Federation spokesman Minister Gorbunov portal “Apollo” over reported could neither confirm nor deny. “So far, known only as much as is written in the media.”

As LETA State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) spokeswoman Victoria Šembele, on the night of the 11th June at around. 2 rescuers received information from witnesses that a man jumped into the Daugava River from the Stone Bridge and disappeared. Arriving at the scene, VUGD staff on the bridge saw the man’s clothes, but searching the river, no one in it was found.

Search jobs rescuers and divers continued the next day, but still did not find anything.

These reports are translated and unconfirmed.

Pelss, 20, is an aggressive and fast-skating winger who played for the Oilers farm teams in Stockton and Oklahoma City this year. He spent two years with the Edmonton Oil Kings, and was taken in the 7th round of the 2010 draft by the Edmonton Oilers.

Eric Rodgers, a free-lancer who closely follows Pelss’s team Oklahoma City Barons and has done work for the team’s broadcast, reports on Twitter: “Reports out of Latvia that a male jumped from a bridge and drowned. Reports also say that it was #OKCBarons winger Kristians Pelss. Evidently a missing persons report has been requested by Pelss’ family. Doesn’t seem to be confirmed it was him yet. Sounds like Pelss was due home Mon. No contact has been made since however. Incident in question took place Monday night. No body has been recovered, which makes this extremely odd. Unconfirmed media speculation seems to be the best way to describe it right now. Hoping this turns out to be mistaken identity.

UPDATE

“Per news report: Pelss’ family confirms he’s missing but declines the report he’s the guy who has drowned. Second report from Latvia “@ArvisLaksa: New info: Relatives are still searching for missing Pelss and rejected reports that he had died! Family denying he is the one that drowned. Confirms he is missing however.”

Dan Tencer of 630 CHED reports on Twitter: “The reports on Kristians Pelss seem very speculative. For now, let’s hope they’re not true. I’ve reached out to the team…no word back yet. … Not going to speculate on this subject matter. It’s unconfirmed, so I’ll just hope it isn’t true. Nothing from team yet.”

Lisa McRitchie, hockey blogger: “This Pelss story is tragic! A very sad day for the family and friends of the person who drowned, no matter who they were.”

Pelss had a difficult season, not playing or scoring much and getting the 21-game suspension for a nasty slash. Here is what the Cult of Hockey’s Bruce McCurdy reported on Pelss the hockey player heading into 2012-13.

“Kristians Pelss had a successful second season with the Oil Kings, impressing Oilers brass sufficiently to snag a pro contract in the spring. Just 5’11 but powerfully built, the winger is an intriguing package who skates like the wind and forechecks like a buzzsaw. Pelss notched 28 goals in 2011-12 to rank third on the WHL champion Oil Kings, but his 22 assists and 50 points were underwhelming for an import forward in his 19-year-old season. Kristians was an effective penalty-killer with a knack for scoring big goals. His +34 rating placed him among team leaders for a second straight year, attesting to a solid two-way game. He also served Latvia as captain at the World Juniors.Outlook: One of the youngest players in his draft class (7th round, #181 in 2010), Pelss will turn pro in the fall, but whether that will be with OKC or Stockton is anybody’s guess.”

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